


Amr and Amor

by Onehelluvapilot



Series: Camelove [5]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Baby, Cuddling & Snuggling, Family, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Getting Together, Insecure Lancelot (Merlin), Insecurity, Multi, Polyamory Negotiations
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-12 02:35:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29377899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Onehelluvapilot/pseuds/Onehelluvapilot
Summary: After baby Amr is born, Lancelot spends a lot of time in the royal suite with the baby, and certain hidden feelings come to light between the King, Queen, and Knight
Relationships: Gwen/Lancelot/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Series: Camelove [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2151081
Comments: 8
Kudos: 11
Collections: Camelove 2021





	Amr and Amor

**Author's Note:**

> This is related to my fic Amr (Part One) but this one was actually written first so it'll still make sense without having read that one

It was a good thing that Lancelot’s features resembled Guinevere’s in some ways, as it made it easy to attribute the baby’s curly hair and tanned complexion to the mother. Had Lancelot been the blond and Arthur the brunette and the baby had resembled the father, it would have been harder to explain the son’s coloration. They still had to be careful regarding his parentage; should the truth come to light, the Court would consider him the product of adultery and betrayal as well as being not the rightful heir. They would never understand the true relationship between the King, the Queen, and the knight, or that Arthur himself had requested it.

After years of trying, the King admitted that he might not be able to give Gwen a baby. His mother Igraine had been unable to conceive naturally and it seemed possible that the trait had been passed on to him. Unlike his father, he was unwilling to use magic or risk his wife, however unintentionally, before the other alternatives were exhausted, and that meant admitting that he might be the problem and inviting another man to try. Since Lancelot has already been his companion for years and he knew his wife and the man still had feelings for each other, it was natural for Arthur to choose him as the man to father ‘his’ child. He’d had Gwen invite the knight into her bedchambers, explain to him what she needed and why, and nine months later Amr was born.

Both men treated the baby as their own, with no rivalry or competition between them. It was agreed that since Arthur could acknowledge and hold him in public, Lancelot should have more time with him in private. Once little Amr was able to understand language and speak, the knight would have to stop, so as not to confuse the child about whose son he was, but for now, he rocked him to sleep most nights, singing him soft lullabies, and burped him and changed his nappies like any proud parent.

“You are so strong, yes, you are,” he said when the little boy grabbed his finger and squeezed tight. He slipped his other hand under the baby’s head and ran his thumb across his hair. It was so fine, like the short hairs at the nape of Gwen’s neck. He quickly shook his head to clear that thought and looked down at his baby instead. Since the heir had been born, there was no reason for Lance and Gwen to make love again, so he would have to live with just the memory. At least little Amr was there to keep it alive.

“Strong like his dad,” Gwen said, coming up behind him to rub his back between his shoulder blades. Her hands, softer now than when she had been a servant but no less strong, immediately found the knot in his muscles that always hid under the bone on the right. Lancelot groaned, but she had it quickly smoothed out, and moved around to his side. She looped a hand around his waist and leaned up to kiss his cheek. He flinched away from her. “Hey. What’s wrong?”

“I wish you wouldn’t do that,” he said softly, still looking down at their son. “I'd rather not get used to this. And I’m sure Arthur wouldn’t approve. It’s enough that he lets me spend so much time here, given the risks.” Only the three of them, Merlin, and Amr’s nursemaid knew about the knight’s nightly visits to the king and queen’s chambers. If it became common knowledge, the scandal could bring down Gwen and Lancelot entirely and seriously tarnish Arthur's reputation.

“Have you asked?” Gwen asked gently, but she pulled back so she was just holding his arm. “I think you should talk to Arthur about it. Actually, all three of us should talk.”

At that, Lance looked over at the queen with a look of terror in his eyes. “I thought we agreed that I could have him for six months,” he said, his hand unconsciously grabbing Amr’s hand. “Until he started talking.”

“Lance, no, that’s not what I meant,” she quickly reassured him. Clearly he thought that she was saying they should talk so that Arthur could exile him from their chambers. “I was actually thinking about finding a way that you could stay longer, not making you leave early." Lancelot’s eyes softened, and he picked up Amr when he squirmed on the bed. “Arthur will be back soon. Why don’t you see if you can put Amr to sleep and then we’ll talk?”

Lancelot nodded, looking dramatically reassured, and carried his child over to his crib. He wasn't smiling anymore, but he couldn't stay frowning while looking at his son. The little one was out like a light, rocked to sleep by the gentle motion of the cradle and soothed by a soft French lullaby. A few minutes later, the door opened quietly as Arthur returned. He'd used to always make a big deal when he came home at the end of the day, sweeping Gwen into his arms with a strong proclamation of love, but since the baby had been born he'd learned not to make so much noise in case someone was sleeping. Either the baby, Gwen, or Lancelot. The adults had taken to napping during the day as well and going to bed as soon as possible, since their rest was often robbed from them during the night.

"Hey Lance," Arthur said softly and affectionately, coming over to stand quite close to him as they both gazed down at their son in the cradle and laying a hand on his shoulder. It was a far cry from the usual back-slapping of knights at practice; it was far more tender, almost intimate. It especially felt so since it mirrored where Gwen had touched earlier. Lancelot had no idea what to make of this.

"Boys, why don't you come sit?" The queen called softly. She'd moved onto the bed, leaning back against the headboard. Arthur took a seat next to her while Lancelot hovered more at the very end of it. It wasn't that he had never sat on their bed before; he'd actually slept there before, multiple times. Including while Gwen and/or Arthur had been in it. Taking care of a baby on top of his regular knightly duties was exhausting, and sometimes he needed to sleep and didn't have time or energy to go back to his own (now barely used) room. Bringing a cot into the royal chambers would have been too suspicious if anyone had seen it. Something about being in the bed this time felt different though; the atmosphere had changed in a way that Lancelot couldn't decide if it was pleasant. Gwen had to beckon him to shift towards them until he sat crisscross almost in the middle of it, with her legs on one side of him and Arthur's on the other. The king looked comfortable; even if he hadn't been expecting this little meeting of theirs, he clearly knew what it was about. He had an advantage over Lance in that way, but he smiled reassuringly so the knight couldn't be too jealous about him being in the loop.

"Lance, well, Arthur and I have been talking a little when you're not here and… well, we realized that we both love you. All your best qualities are on display when you're with Amr: your compassion and devotion, and even your bravery in how you love thinking it can't be permanent. I already liked these things about you and Arthur respected them, but now, spending so much time with you has only intensified those feelings."

"You also look damned handsome while holding Amr, which doesn't hurt," Arthur added. Gwen smiled and nodded in agreement before continuing.

"So, if you wanted, if you felt the same way, romantically, that is, we were hoping you would stay and let us love you that way."

Lancelot was left speechless by this confession. It was honestly a good thing that he was sitting down, since he felt a little faint. "I- I have loved you both since I first set eyes on you," he admitted after a minute of gaping at them. "I never imagined that you might feel the same way."

"Never?" Gwen asked. "Not even the night we spent together?"

"I thought you chose me just for convenience, and that you must've been wishing I was Arthur."

She shook her head. "It would have been hard for me to wish I was anywhere else when I was with you."

"Come here," Arthur ordered, but it was in his loving husband voice rather than as a commanding king. Lancelot shifted up the bed between the royals and was nearly overwhelmed by the kisses they pressed to his cheeks from either side. The king was the first to grab him, gently but insistently, and pull him onto a proper kiss. They were both gasping when they broke apart.

"Wait," Lance said, struggling to catch his breath. "I'm sorry, this is all just a little much."

"Do you need a minute?" Gwen asked.

"No, I just… how will this work? I don't want to come between you, and we'd have to keep it a secret, and would it be confusing for Amr and-"

"Relax, Lancelot," Arthur soothed. "Let's have some time together before we start to worry about all that." He pulled the knight closer and Gwen nestled in against him too until they could trap him in their arms and lavish him in kisses. They only stopped when interrupted by Amr beginning to cry. Despite being the one trapped in the middle, Lancelot was the first one out of the bed to go tend to him. 

"Bring him here," Gwen instructed. He did as asked, trying to hand the child off to her, but she took him for just long enough for the knight to resettle between her and Arthur, with the two men leaning up against the headboard of the bed, before placing him on his chest. Babies liked that, she knew, being able to feel someone's steady breaths in and out. She liked it too, if she was being honest, which was why she settled her head against Lance's shoulder near to her baby's. She could practically feel her husband's loving gaze on her, and when she craned her neck to look up at him she saw that he was indeed smiling at her softly. One of his arms was wrapped around Lancelot's back to hold him, with the other covering his hand where it supported Amr's bottom. Lance was smiling too, though he looked a lot less sure of himself doing it. "You can put your arm around me," Gwen encouraged him. His smile grew a little wider and more confident, the corners of his eyes crinkling a little more, and he looped his arm around her back happily.

"Is it too early for me to say I love you?" He asked softly.

"Which one of us?" Arthur teased.

"All of you. All three of you."

"We love you too," Gwen replied.

"Yeah. And it's not too early," the other man reassured him. "It's weird to think that just a month ago, it was only Gwen and I together. Now, I already can't imagine life without our little family."

Amr dozed off first and his mother carefully shifted him over to the cradle for safety before she and his two dads fell asleep tangled together in the king-queen-and-knight sized bed.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments make my day!


End file.
